Three Things You Must Know About Chianti: Part 2
Here is part 2 of our three-part series: Sunday School’s 3 must-know facts about Chianti. (Go here to catch up with part 1.)
This one will make your life so easy.
You might have encountered one of these two problems:
You’ve had Chianti and it’s typically, like, “bleh.” You are not impressed.
You think, there must be some good Chianti out there and you want to explore, but what do you look for and where do you start?!
The thing is, there are a lot of words you might find on a Chianti label: riserva, Classico, gran selezione, superiore, or names of villages and subzones such as Colli Senesi or Greve, etc.
The ONLY word on the Chianti label you need to care about is this one: Classico.
Chianti Classico is a separate region, independent from Chianti, that makes quality wines based on terroir. (Unlike regular Chianti which is a much broader geographical region and makes wines that are totally hit or miss, including lots of that cheap “bleh” stuff you might have come across.)
So that’s your super-easy, life-changing tip:
Chianti Fact #2
Don’t buy Chianti. Always buy Chianti Classico.
To make this even easier for you, the Chianti Classico people (how thoughtful of them) have put their black rooster symbol on all their labels, so all you really have to do is look for the black rooster! ⬇️
Alright, now that we’ve opened up the wardrobe to Narnia for you, stay tuned for next week when we are going to take your Chianti-drinking to the max. You will love Chianti more than you ever knew possible. (This one is also amazingly easy!)
P.S. Are you a member of Sunday School Wine Society? We have so much more Chianti fun stuff for you! Eg, the story of the black rooster, downloadable handouts and more deets on labels (and exceptions to the rule), specific producer recommendations especially if you do want to splurge into the world of riservas and gran seleziones. Anyhoo, go here for all the Chianti knowledge.
Why would a producer want to leave the Chianti DOCG, declassify their wines, and label them as IGT Toscana instead, foregoing the word “Chianti” altogether?